Pak Kabaddi officials wait for govt nod as India resumes activity

KARACHI: India’s kabaddi players are set to return to the competitive circuit following a long layoff due to covid-19 as the major kabaddi nation has announced that it will hold the eighth edition of its Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) in December. The auction has already been completed for the 12-team showpiece, the second most-viewed sporting event after the IPL.

On the other hand Pakistan kabaddi fraternity is waiting for the ban to be lifted by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), whose ban on full-body contact sports remains in place.

“We are desperately waiting for the ban to be lifted by the NCOC,” Pakistan Kabaddi Federation’s (PKF) secretary Mohammad Sarwar told ‘The News’ in a detailed chat.

“Yes, it’s been a long time. Our players have been missing mainstream events and this is a big loss no doubt but the situation was life-threatening and so it was indispensable. But we certainly hope that very soon the ban will be lifted and we will begin our activities,” said Sarwar, also a former Pakistan captain.

“I think in November the situation will become clear. Once we are allowed to resume our activities we will go full-throttle and will engage our players in national events,” Sarwar said.

Next year Pakistan has a major event in the shape of the Asian Games. Keeping the ban on kabaddi may harm the sport and affect Pakistan’s winning chances in the Asian Games to be held in September 2022 in China.

Sarwar is determined that they will do everything to bring their players into top shape in a short time. “We will work day and night to bring our players into top shape once the activities resume. We can do this,” said Sarwar, also the secretary of Asian Kabaddi Federation (AKF).

“We will hire a smart physical trainer who could do well with the boys and bring them into top fitness. Besides, we will also hire a top nutritionist so that our boys get quality diet and cope with the demand of the hectic training,” Sarwar said.

If training resumes by the end of this year then this will be after one and a half years that kabaddi players will be seen in action.

Sarwar is also considering inviting some nations to Pakistan for joint training. “We will invite teams like Iran and Sri Lanka for training and competition purposes. We may invite India too but I think they will not come,” Sarwar said.

Most of Pakistan players have been training at their villages. Sarwar hopes that their physical fitness will not be bad. “I think they have off and on kept themselves in practice and training at homes and I hope the fitness issue will not be that big. But certainly you need top fitness when you are to go for an international event,” Sarwar said.

Super Kabaddi League (SKL) is also an option if restrictions are lifted by the NCOC.

The other day this correspondent asked a senior official of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) when restrictions on kabaddi would be lifted. He did not have a clue.

As the rest of the world is busy holding events despite Covid, Pakistan needs to take steps to resume full body contact sports activities under SOPs. Otherwise there are chances that the nation will face serious issues in the next year’s international events.